Daouda for president

This week has seen the beginning of the end for our project. Material for all our building is in place and all should be finished in ten days time. Hopefully more on all of that, with pictures, after we've visited all of the sites for the last time.

On Tuesday we took fifty talibes on a trip around Dakar. First we visited l'Assemblee National, where we were allowed in to look at the chamber and given a talk in Wolof. Next we had a look at the Presidential Palace, a very tall mosque by a beach and finally climbed a hill for a view over the whole peninsula. Here are some of the kids watching a plane come in to land....

Two days later we began a ten day school for the talibes. By the time it's finished, we'll have hopefully taught a hundred of them to make bead jewellery and design and make t-shirts. We also play a lot of football, climb trees and I wrestle with ten at a time.

Aside from our fun at the school, this week we have mostly been entertained by.... Daouda Ba (above). I think he's worth a bit of description here for an insight into our day to day work. His job must be described as unknown, though he does work for the NGO in some capacity. He's slightly shorter than me, likes Pink Floyd and reggae and moves very slowly so as not to expend too much energy. He doesn't play football and can't swim, however he does referee when needed, though in typically languid fashion. He spends a lot of time reading his preferred newspaper, Le Pop, in various locations, for example, daaras, buses, meetings and on a free mat he scored from the mat factory. This year he is still quite angry that last year a volunteer let a woman pray on his Le Pop, the ground was wet and I'm told it was ruined. His favourite lunch is rice and fish. He has a Doctorate in making tea. When he prays or, "goes to see god", he offers to say hi to god for me, which I accept with thanks. Daouda also spends a lot of time accusing other people of being promiscuous (a Sai Sai in Wolof), and claims that he is not because Senegalese women are so forceful that he has no option in these matters. He also definitely doesn't like the president and is willing to shout at anyone who does. He's agreed to come surfing with us next week. Seriously though, he's a really great guy and very funny, most of the time intentionally.

Next time I'm going to try to persuade one of the others to make a guest appearance here, hopefully to give a different perspective and add anything I've forgotten. I sense they might be reluctant, but watch this space....

Lastly, here's a picture of a Dakar beach at sunset and Kherou enjoying his afternoon nap.